It seems to happen every year. Just when the pink boulevard prunus are fully in bloom the wind comes along and starts to remove their spring finery.
The ground looks like a wedding party has just passed by — confetti everywhere. Bob Jackson, who was responsible for planting all these lovely trees, must be groaning as he sits on his pink cloud in heaven. Mind you the ground looks beautiful for a couple of days, but what a waste. The petals look so much better on the trees!
Talking about flowers, the balcony looks rather festive considering its small size.
There isn’t a great deal of anything, just a smattering of a lot of colourful bloom: some pansies, quite a few large purple crocus. a few yellow ones (the majority of the yellow ones are now over) then there are some scilla, a few chionodoxa, a couple of narcissus, one miniature daffodil with two blooms glued together at the top of a narrow stem, one hyacinth and a whole forest of chickweed and that’s about it.
Nothing to get excited about I suppose, but pretty all the same.
And there are two ornamental plum trees smothered in pink blossom if you just lean forward and peer over the railing.
Even if the space is small, it is a pleasure to see things growing, which reminds me I still haven’t harvested my potato crop. Wait a minute and I’ll go out and do it, just to let you know what can be grown in a small space.
I better be careful here. What if I’ve had a crop failure. You’d be sure to think I’m a failure as well! I could always lie, of course and you’d never know the difference. The trouble with that idea is that I would know! I never have admired a liar and don’t intend to start being one at this late date.
I’ve just been out and since there is no foliage left I am not sure which pot they may be in. It’s cold out there in the wind, so I’ll try later when its not quite so chilly.
The Horticultural Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. is holding a spring plant sale on April 26 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with many of the plants grown at the Hort Centre, accompanied by expert advice on where to plant it and how to maintain it.
This is an event you won’t want to miss!
Helen Lang has been the Peninsula News Review’s garden columnist for more than 30 years.
